Thursday, January 26, 2012

FAQ: "What's the difference between conventional and organic milk?"

Over the past few years, several of my friends have asked about the difference between conventional and organic milk. There is A LOT of information available on
this subject, so I won’t try to reinvent the wheel here. I’ll simply give you an overview along with my take on the issue.

To start with, the terms “conventional” and “organic” refer
to a farm’s method of production, not the actual milk. For a dairy to attain UDSA
organic certification, it must fully incorporate and adopt a set of production
methods that include a variety of specified “cultural, biological, and
mechanical practices.” Guidelines include provisions on how often cows graze
and have access to pasture, how their additional feed must be grown, and how
their health is managed (read this USDA Factsheet for more info). Most dairies
include some of the listed practices as part of their own standard operating procedures,
but are considered “conventional” because they haven’t adopted all of the USDA’s
organic guidelines.

"What do you mean we're not organic?We're carbon-based life forms!"

A farm’s decision to use conventional or organic production
methods is rarely as black and white as a Holstein dairy cow. Herd health, the
availability of (or capacity to grow) feed, economics, and location are just a
few of the factors farmers must take into consideration. Ultimately, dairy
farms are going to use production methods that best allow them to a) raise healthy,
comfortable cows that produce safe, nutritious milk, b) practice good
stewardship of the natural resources around them, and c) provide a decent
living for their family.

So what about those different jugs of milk sitting in the
dairy case? The USDA, American Dietetic Association, and many other scientific
studies have affirmed that conventionally and organically produced dairy
products are equally safe and nutritious. Organic milk is rBST-free, and so are many brands of conventional milk. All milk undergoes stringent testing to
ensure that it contains no trace of antibiotics or pesticides. Organic will
cost more due to the farmer’s higher costs to produce it, and it may have a
different flavor depending on the cows’ diet (true for all milk) or the pasteurization
method used.

My family owns and operates a conventional dairy farm, and we have no
hesitation whatsoever about consuming conventional milk and dairy products. If you are equally as comfortable with our
product, great! If you believe organic production is a better way of farming,
our industry has you covered. There are options for nearly every preference of
taste and philosophy, so make sure you and your family are getting three daily
servings of whichever dairy products you most enjoy!

8 comments:

I was gonna ask why Scotty Mayfield has his average price at $5.19 per gallon at Wally World. But I found out a couple days ago. He's running for Congress in East Tennessee. We've made our decision. We're buying some Dexters! Yayyy! LOL

More likely, much of the confusion really comes from the difference between processed (homogenized & pasteurized) milk and the growing consumer awareness and desire to buy and consume RAW milk.The arguments wax heavy and long, but at the end of the day, most farmers/dairymen use very modern and clean methodology to the creation of their Production output. I actually like the raw milk, drink organic milk, but won't turn up my nose at anything that's set before me.

Meet The Dairyman:

I'm a dairy farmer, family man, & Mississippi State alumnus from Lamar County, Alabama. I'm a former national Young Farmers & Ranchers Chairman, USFRA Face of Farming & Ranching, and currently serve as President of the Lamar County Farmers Federation and Chairman of the Alabama Dairy Producers Committee.